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Burundi’s president claims Rwanda is backing rebels fighting against his country

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Burundi’s president on Friday accused Rwanda of funding and training rebels behind an attack last week on the village of Gatumba, close to Burundi’s border with Congo, that killed at least 20 people.A Burundian armed rebel group known as RED-Tabara and based in South Kivu, eastern Congo, took responsibility for the attack in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The group, which denied having targeted civilians, claimed to have killed nine soldiers and a police officer.Burundian authorities consider RED-Tabara a terrorist movement. The group first appeared in 2011 and has been accused of a string of attacks in Burundi since 2015.In a national radio broadcast, President Evariste Ndayishimiye claimed the RED-Tabara “are fed, sheltered, hosted and maintained in terms of logistics and financial means by … Rwanda.” Ndayishimiye said Burundi has been unsuccessfully negotiating with Rwanda for two years, seeking the extradition of the rebels. “As long as they have a co...

Five officers fired at homicide suspect during deadly chase through Las Vegas, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Officers from two Nevada law enforcement agencies opened fire during a pre-dawn chase through Las Vegas as they tried to stop a man who fatally shot his mother, then stole a police cruiser and carjacked bystanders at gunpoint while trying to evade police, authorities said Friday. The rampage two days after Christmas left three people dead: The suspect, his mother and a bystander who was on his way to work when he pulled over for the emergency vehicles pursuing the suspect. Jerry Lopez, a 39-year-old father of seven, unknowingly entered the suspect’s path and was killed.Authorities haven’t yet identified the suspect, his mother or a motive. But on Friday they said a total of five officers fired their weapons during the chase through the suburbs of Las Vegas.They were Las Vegas police officers Jacob Mekeel and Timothy Brooks. Nevada State Police troopers Martin Moran, Danny Kincaid and Luis Villanueva also opened fire on the suspect, authorities said.Accor...

Quebec public sector strikes could inspire others, as workers grow more combative

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

MONTREAL — A labour policy expert says an eventual successful resolution of Quebec’s massive public sector strikes could serve as an inspiration to other labour unions in the province and elsewhere. McGill associate sociology professor Barry Eidlin says the Quebec strikes are part of a broader North American trend in which workers have become increasingly willing to fight to reverse decades of declining work standards.Two separate union groups announced Thursday they had made major progress toward ending the labour conflict that has closed hundreds of schools, delayed surgeries and brought nearly half a million workers to the streets since November.Teachers union FAE said it had reached a deal in principle with the government and would end its unlimited strike, while an alliance of four unions representing 420,000 education, health-care and social service workers said it had reached a tentative deal on salaries.Eidlin says several steps remain before the labour conflict can be...

Passport processing times drop to normal levels just in time for 2024 travel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - Just in time for your 2024 travel plans, the State Department says passport processing times are back to normal. This comes after months of stressful delays that ruined international trips for tons of summer travelers.A surge of post-pandemic travel led to record requests for passports this year and the U.S. State Department struggled to handle the demand. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) says his office was overwhelmed with complaints from frustrated travelers whose plans were snarled by costly passport delays. Some wait times for passports were as long as three months. "It was chaos," Warner said. But now, the State Department says it's back on schedule and routing passport processing takes just 6 to 8 weeks. "The State Department has really worked diligently. They worked a lot of overtime hours to catch up. They processed over like 24 million passports," AAA Senior VP of travel Paula Twidale said. Twidale says that's significant as inter...

Kaitlin Armstrong claims pregnancy 'during or near' time of murder arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Kaitlin Armstrong, the woman found guilty of first-degree murder this year in the death of star professional cyclist Moriah Wilson, claims she was pregnant at or near the time she was arrested for the killing, according to a recent court filing.The admission of Armstrong’s pregnancy is included in a lengthy motion for a new trial filed in Travis County on Dec. 15. Armstrong was sentenced to 90 years in prison on Nov. 17.Armstrong says there is new evidence that was not available at the time of trial, according to the motion. She also alleges she received ineffective assistance of counsel in the punishment phase of the trial by not conducting a “proper mitigation (or sentencing) investigation” and not contacting “favorable witnesses who were available and willing to testify in support of Armstrong,” according to the motion. RELATED | Slain cyclist Moriah Wilson, 25, ‘exceptional in every way’ The motion includes favorable affidavits for Armstrong by relatives and p...

How culture has helped Kevin O’Connell lead the Vikings through the storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

It’s a buzzword that has become synonymous with the Vikings since head coach Kevin O’Connell was hired on Feb. 16, 2022. He talked at length about “culture” in his introductory press conference, and fittingly, everything the Vikings have done since then has been rooted in that abstract concept.It was undeniable when O’Connell took over and the Vikings transformed from a joyless group under former head coach Mike Zimmer into a joyful group that played for each other and finished last season 13-4 in the process. The postgame speeches in the locker room routinely went viral on social media. You started to feel a tangible shift as the results started to pour in on a weekly basis.Then came the hard part.As important as last season was for the Vikings as they adjusted to change, this season has provided a true test of the values O’Connell worked so hard to instill from the top down. It’s easy to preach “culture” dirng the good times. I...

Troopers rescue an elderly couple from burning RV

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

CATSKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Thursday afternoon, New York State Troopers rescued an elderly couple from a 2005 Allegro Motorhome fully engulfed in flames on I-87. Raymond J. Hanas, 82, and Patricia A. Grabley, 81, both of Lake George, sustained minor injuries and suffered from smoke inhalation. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Troopers say the motor home was towing a 2018 Jeep when it experienced a mechanical failure. A fire broke out, with flames rising to 20 feet. The couple could not exit the vehicle due to its proximity to the guide rail.Responding officers broke the window from the door using a baton. The couple and their pets were pulled through the window. They were treated on scene and declined further medical treatment.

SLU Hospital nurse strike ends, SSM Health addresses concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A group of SLU Hospital nurses went on strike for two days just after Christmas, and the strike ended early Friday morning. Nurses went back to work at 7 a.m. on Friday. The hospital brought in nurses from other staffing agencies to fill in during the strike or order to avoid setbacks in patient care. It was the second strike involving SLU hospital nurses in recent months, organized on behald of the National Nurses Organizing Committee. The union is concerned about patient care, staffing and workplace violence. Police: St. Louis woman Marquisha Williams found deceased in Illinois SLU Hospital nurses have also reportedly been in negotiations for a new contract with SSM since May 2023.SSM Health released this statement, in part, to FOX 2 as the strike ended Friday: "The exceptional care and services to SLU-H patients and the community we serve continued without interruption during the two-day NNOC job action.SLU-H is proud that a majority of scheduled nurses rejected th...

Here’s who will be on Colorado’s presidential primary ballots — and where Donald Trump stands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

Colorado’s March 5 presidential primaries — the state’s first formal foray into the 2024 election — are firming up, and the competition isn’t as simple as incumbent-versus-challenger.As it stood Friday, voters who mark Democratic ballots will have their pick of eight candidates and a no-preference option. The Republican ballot will have at least six listed candidates — and likely seven — plus a write-in option.But it’s a more fluid situation than in elections past, thanks to the recent uncertainty surrounding former President Donald Trump.The undisputed Republican frontrunner was barred by the Colorado Supreme Court from appearing on the ballot in its 4-3 ruling on Dec. 19 — the first time a state found him ineligible because of his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. (Maine’s secretary of state followed suit this week.)But in Colorado’s case, the court put a stay in place pending any appeals file...

Two lanes of westbound I-70 near Morrison closed for emergency roadwork

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:52:51 GMT

The right two lanes on westbound Interstate 70 are closed for emergency road work, officials announced Friday afternoon.The interstate lanes are closed between Colorado 470 and Morrison Road as crews work to repair a deep pothole, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation on X.Motorists should expect delays in the area, and there is no estimated time for the lanes’ reopening, according to a CDOT alert.Alternate routes are advised.Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.Related ArticlesTransportation | RTD’s reduced fares and monthly pass prices take effect in the new year. Here is what’s changing. Transportation | Don’t fall for the Facebook scam claiming to sell Denver airport luggage for $10 Transportation | Ring in 2024 in metro Denver with a free ride home on New Year’s Eve Transportation | RTD’s downtown loop rail stations cl...